Stock Certificates of the Texas Central Railroad.   Both certificates are signed by D. Comyn Moran and Henry McHarg.  The railroad began as the Texas Central Railway but in 1892 following bankruptcy, the name was changed to “railroad” and the line split from its parent company the Houston and Texas Central Railway.  The preferred certificate was issued in 1893 and the common in 1895.  The line was leased to MKT in 1910.  The MKT continued to operate the line until November 1967.  It then reverted to the old Texas Central name.

Left: Train at the De Leon station in 1908.  The engineer was Frank Smith and the fireman C.H. Timmons Sr.

Misidentified in the De Leon Centennial book as the opening of the branch line to Cross Plains, this is actually a photo of the ground breaking ceremonies for that branch on April 8, 1910.  The boy in front on the far left is B.J. Pittman Jr. and the second boy to his right in the “Y” sweater is his brother Ralph.  It was B.J. that clarified that this was the ground breaking.

Left:  The emblem of the Texas Central from an old Hico newspaper.


Right:  An ad in the Carbon newspaper.  Notice that Z.C. Steakley is Agent.  He later came to De Leon and his son Zollie Steakley became a Texas Supreme Court Justice.

Above:  The last passenger train from De Leon on June 3, 1950.  The engineer was identified in the De Leon Centennial book as George Rollins.  It is believed it is instead C.H. Timmons.

Left:  The last MKT train from De Leon arrives at Bellmead  Nov. 28, 1967.

The Peanut Line


Left:  De Leonians prepare to unveil a historical marker at the depot on Nov. 25, 1994.  Note the conductor’s hat hanging on the marker.  It belonged to C.L. Mohon’s father.  Jack Hasty (L) and Charles Chupp standing in the center viewing the marker.

Right:  The program for the unveiling.

Left:  Lyndell Coan operating the Texas Central ca 1980.


Right:  The Texas Central at the the depot during the Peach and  Melon Festival 1994.

Above:  Brochure and tickets from the early 1970s.

Section Crew around 1940 (L-R) Byron Lock, Cecil Brownlee, Alvin Carlin, Sonny Owens, Tillman Hammon and Gang Foreman Bill Foster. Identified by Charles Lock and Cecil Brownlee in the Feb 26, 1998 issue of De Leon’s Monitor.

De Leon depot about 1922.  Photos were provided by Mayme Taylor McCrimon of Live Oak, Fl.  Her father, O.E. Taylor (mother Emily Taylor) came to De Leon about 1920.  He was a “car knocker” that is, a car inspector for the railroad.  He had been an engineer but had been hurt and took the other position.

Texas Central Railroad Engine 108 probably taken before 1910.  The station is not De Leon and the crew is unidentified.

Two unidentified Texas Central conductors.

Cars at the De Leon depot ca: 1947.

A Texas Central Railroad pass with an expiration date of December 31, 1902.